(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a supplemental treatment for Plantar Fasciitis, Acute ankle sprains, acute gastrocnemius strains, achilles tendon repair, injury, foot drop, or any other condition or injury that would cause heel cord/Achilles tendon shortening in patients during periods of bed rest or when ankle immobilization is desired. The subject invention promotes and speeds the healing process when used in conjunction with more traditional treatments.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In the general area of orthotic splints, prior art has been developed mostly in the area of walking type splints wherein inventors have concentrated on the development of such splints or braces which may be worn by the human in a concealed manner by being placed inside of the trousers and installed into conventional type non-orthotic shoes. Such representative type devices are: U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,934 to Phillip dated Dec. 24, 1985, U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,324 to Hall dated June 15, 1993, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,504,668 to Boudon dated Apr. 7, 1970.
The instant invention is meant to be worn at night or periods of rest wear the wearer is not placing pressure or weight on the effected foot/ankle. Prior art in this area is represented by U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,155 to Strassburg et al. dated Mar. 21, 1995. This device is designed to accomplish substantially the same results as the subject invention; however, it is our belief that the subject invention has some distinctive advantages.
The Strassburg device is for the most part a sock with a tensioner type strap attached to the toe and upper portion thereof The tension placed on the ankle may be varied by lengthening or shortening said tension strap. Many wearers have complained that this type of device is uncomfortable when sleeping with bed linen or covers over the effected foot due to the weight of the covers exerting a downward force upon said tension strap thereby placing a surplus of weight upon the effected ankle. During the summer months of the year or in any particularly warm climate (or in cases where bed linens are placed over the device) the wearing of the sock proved too warm for the wearer. The design of the Strassburg device also does little to prevent the side to side motion of the foot in relation to the ankle. The aforementioned design also does not allow for the foot to be positioned and retained at an exact posture due to the flexible nature of the tension strap.
The subject invention addresses and solves the aforementioned problems of the Strassburg device and like devices. The subject invention provides for a predetermined positive displacement of the foot in relation to the ankle. The wearer does not have to wear any type of sock or undergarment when wearing the subject invention thereby alleviating the heat problem associated with the Strassburg device. The subject invention also allows the posterior side of the lower leg, ankle, foot, and toes to remain substantially exposed while being worn. This substantial exposure provides the wearer with an effective compact device which allows the wearer to enjoy substantial freedom of movement of the effected extremity while still maintaining the desired immobilizing effect.
The subject invention, when worn as prescribed, places the plantar aproneurosis in an immobilized position. While this immobilized position is not sufficient to create to lengthening effect on the aproneurosis, it is of sufficient force so as to prevent it from contracting. This is achieved by holding the ankle and forefoot joints in a position of slight dorsiflexion and preventing the ankle and forefoot joints from adopting a position of plantarflexion. In this way, the plantar aproneurosis is not allowed to contract during the period that the subject invention is being worn. The effect is that after removal of the subject invention by the wearer, and upon bearing weight on the effected foot, the plantar aproneurosis will not be placed in pathologic tension thus reducing and/or eliminating pain. The subject invention may also be utilized to immobilize the ankle for any diagnosis or condition where a neutral position is desired.